Rig Veda 9.103.3: Mandala 9, Sukta 103, Mantra 3
Sukta 9.103
- Rishi
- Soma Pavamāna corpus
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Chandas
- Likely Triṣṭubh/Jagatī
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace)
परि कोशं मधुश्चुतमव्यये वारे अर्षति । अभि वाणीॠषीणां सप्त नूषत ॥
pári kóśaṃ madhú-ścutam avyáye vā́re arṣati | abhí vā́ṇīr ŕ̥ṣīṇāṃ saptá nū́ṣata ||
सोम बर्तन के आस पास बह रहा है। उसमे से मीठा रस टपक रहा है। फ़िल्टर काम कर रहा है, रुकता नहीं। सात रिशियों की आवाज़ें उसको पुकारती हैं और जाग जाती हैं।
Word by Word
- परि
- around, all aroundIndeclinableउपसर्ग (क्रियाविशेषण)Root परि (उपसर्ग) < PIE *peri
- कोशम्
- vessel, container (sheath)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचनRole KarmaRoot कोश (प्रातिपदिक)
- मधुश्चुतम्
- honey-dripping, sweet-flowingAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (कोशम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role KarmaRoot मधु-च्युत (कृदन्त/विशेषण); √च्युत्/√च्यु (च्यवते) ‘to drip, flow’
- अव्यये
- in the imperishable (place/state)Adjectiveनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचन (वारे इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)Role AdhikaraṇaRoot अव्यय (प्रातिपदिक) ‘imperishable’
- वारे
- in the waterNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचनRole AdhikaraṇaRoot वारि/वार (प्रातिपदिक) ‘water’ (Vedic loc. sg. वारे)
- अर्षति
- flows, streamsVerbलट् (वर्तमान); परस्मैपद; प्रथमा; एकवचनRoot √ऋष्/अर्ष् (अर्षति) ‘to flow, rush’
- अभि
- towards, untoIndeclinableउपसर्ग/क्रियाविशेषणRoot अभि (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
- वाणीः
- voices, utterancesNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचनRole KarmaRoot वाणी (प्रातिपदिक) ‘voice, speech’
- ऋषीणाम्
- of the seersNounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; बहुवचनRole (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)Root ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक) ‘seer’
- सप्त
- sevenNumeralअविकारी संख्या; (वाणीः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्) बहुवचनार्थेRoot सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
- नु
- now, indeedIndeclinableनिपात (उपपद/प्रयोगसूचक)Root नु (निपात)
- ऊषत
- (they) uttered, sounded forthVerbलुङ्/इञ्जङ्क्टिव् (वैदिक-अनिश्चित); परस्मैपद; प्रथमा; बहुवचनRoot √वच्/√उष्? (Vedic: ऊषत् as injunctive/aorist of √वच् ‘to speak’ is not regular; here taken as Vedic aorist/injunctive of √वच् in sense ‘they uttered/they have sounded’)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: परि | कोशम् | मधु-श्चुतम् | अव्यये | वारे | अर्षति | अभि | वाणीः | ऋषीणाम् | सप्त | नु | ऊषत । 1) मधुश्चुतम् = मधु + चुतम् (समास/कृदन्त; श्-आगमः संहितायाम्). 2) अन्यत्र विशेष-सन्धिः न
- ‘सप्त नूषत’ संहितायां नु + ऊषत → नूषत (उ + ऊ = ऊ; दीर्घसन्धिः)
The meaning
Outer meaning
Soma flows around the vessel dripping sweetness through the unfailing fleece; the seven voices of the seers cry out to him and are awakened.
Inner meaning
The ‘vessel’ (kośa) is the prepared inner receptacle—mind/heart—now ‘honey-dripping’ (madhuścutam), capable of receiving sweetness of Ananda. Soma’s flow through the unfailing filter indicates a continuous refining of experience. The ‘seven voices’ are the seven inspired powers of expression/vision (often linked to the seven ṛṣis, seven rays, or seven planes of speech). In the presence of Soma, these inner faculties awaken and begin to articulate truth—mantra becomes living speech.
Universal truth
When the inner receptacle is prepared and sweetness begins to gather, higher faculties of insight and expression awaken spontaneously; joy is not mute—it becomes articulate wisdom.
Themes
Soma as sweetness, Awakening of seer-voices, Sevenfold expression
The seer
- Rishi
- Soma Pavamāna corpus
- Other hymns
- RV 9.97 (voices, seers, and Soma), RV 9.98 (Soma and inspired speech)
Family tradition
The Pavamāna tradition preserves experiential descriptions of how mantra-voice awakens through contact with Soma (Ananda) in the inner sacrifice.
Significance
The rishi indicates a key yogic sign: as delight purifies, the ‘seven voices’—multiple registers of intuition and expression—become active and truthful.
The deity
- Devata
- Soma Pavamāna
- Epithets
- madhu (sweet) implied, punāna (purifying) implied
- Related deities
- Sarasvatī (inspired speech), Bṛhaspati (lord of mantra), Indra (illumined mind that receives the force)
Cosmic role
Soma as sweet essence that fills the cosmic vessel and awakens the seer-powers; mediator between silent bliss and articulated revelation.
Inner power
Ananda that becomes vāc: joy translating into inspired knowledge and mantra.
In ritual
Where it is used
Soma filtration and collection into vessels (kośa/camū)
परि॒ कोशं॑ मधु॒श्चुत॑म॒व्यये॒ वारे॑ अर्षति । अ॒भि वाणी॒ॠषी॑णां स॒प्त नू॑षत ॥
परि॑ । कोश॑म् । म॒धु॒ऽश्चुत॑म् । अ॒व्यये॑ । वारे॑ । अ॒र्ष॒ति॒ । अ॒भि । वाणीः॑ । ऋषी॑णाम् । स॒प्त । नू॒ष॒त॒ ॥
pari | kośam | madhu-ścutam | avyaye | vāre | arṣati | abhi | vāṇīḥ | ṛṣīṇām | sapta | nūṣata
44
4 pādas (approx. 11 syllables each)
Liquid first half (flow imagery), then a bright, ringing second half (voices awakening).
Moves the listener from sweetness and receptivity into awakened articulation—good for mantra-japa before study or inspired work.
- कोशम् (kośam)
- Literal: vessel, container. Symbolic: inner sheath/receptacle (mind-heart) prepared for higher substance
- मधुश्चुतम् (madhuścutam)
- Literal: dripping honey/sweetness. Symbolic: consciousness exuding Ananda; sweetness of truth-experience
- अव्यये वारे (avyaye vāre)
- Literal: in the unfailing fleece/filter. Symbolic: steady discriminative purification; unwavering discipline/channel
- अर्षति (arṣati)
- Literal: flows. Symbolic: streaming descent/ascent of delight-current
- वाणीः (vāṇīḥ)
- Literal: voices, utterances. Symbolic: mantric powers of speech; inspired expression
- ऋषीणाम् (ṛṣīṇām)
- Literal: of the seers. Symbolic: of the inner seeing consciousness
- सप्त (sapta)
- Literal: seven. Symbolic: seven rays/planes; complete set of inspired faculties
- नूषत (nūṣata)
- Literal: they cry out, they are stirred/awakened. Symbolic: inner faculties are quickened into active revelation
Soma flowing into the vessel after filtration; seers’ chants (voices) respond—ritually the stotra/śastra interplay around Soma.
When Soma is received into the cup and offered; accompanying chants that ‘wake’ the ritual speech.
Recitation as Soma streams through the fleece into the vessel; the priests’ voices respond—mirrored by ‘seven voices’.
Use before journaling/creative insight: chant, then write in silence until ‘voices’ (intuitions) clarify.
kośa ‘container’ (later ‘sheath’ in Upaniṣadic usage; here vessel). madhu ‘sweetness’ as delight/Ananda. √cyut/√scut ‘drip, fall’ (ścutam). vāṇī from √vā ‘sound/speak’ (PIE *weh₂- ‘blow/breathe’ sometimes compared; vāc from *wekʷ is separate). Seven voices: a recurrent RV structural number for powers of speech/vision.
madhu as inner delight, sevenfold speech/vision powers, inspiration awakened by Soma
The unfailing filter symbolizes ṛta’s selection—truth and sweetness emerge together when order is kept.
Madhu is not mere pleasure but truth-delight; satya becomes ‘tasteable’.
Speech-creation: awakened vāc participates in shaping reality; Soma catalyzes this awakening.
Vedic mantra-ontology: speech as power (śakti) awakened by Ananda; compatible with Aurobindo’s ‘mantra as revelatory speech’.
Vessel = psyche ready to hold higher influence; honey = delight of truth; seven voices = multiple intuitive channels awakening in purified mind.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘madhu Soma’ mythologem joined to the ‘seven voices’ motif: Soma’s sweet flow through the filter awakens the seers’ utterances. Psychologically, when the delight-principle becomes clarified and contained, the sevenfold expressive powers (voices of inspired cognition) resound and articulate the truth.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- madhu has Indo-Iranian and wider IE parallels (cf. Old English medu ‘mead’ < PIE *médʰu). The vessel/containment imagery is a common IE poetic device. The plural ‘voices’ as quasi-agents is a typical archaic style where abstractions act like deities.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi’s own inspired speech is shown as dependent on Soma’s clarified sweetness: Soma is the awakener of vāṇī. The exchange is direct—offering and purification bring Soma’s madhu; Soma returns as awakened inspiration, multiplying the seer’s voices into a complete (sevenfold) expression.
Rest attention in the ‘inner cup’ at the heart; invite a sweet, quiet joy; then listen for subtle intuitive ‘voices’ without forcing thought.
vishuddha (speech purification)
Bhrāmarī (gentle humming) after chanting to sensitize inner sound; keep it soft to avoid agitation.
Receptive inner listening transitioning to inspired clarity.
Chant once or thrice; sit in silence and notice which of the ‘seven voices’ is active—insight, guidance, mantra, image, feeling-truth—receive without analysis for a few minutes.
Follow Rigvedic accent; keep svarita glides audible on compound words like madhuścutam (as per tradition).
Sustain ‘madhu-’ slightly to evoke sweetness; brighten and slightly intensify on ‘sapta’ and ‘nūṣata’.
‘madhuścutam’: keep ‘śc’ cluster clear (ś + c), not ‘shutam’., ‘kośam’: long ‘o’ and retroflex-like ‘ś’ (palatal)., ‘ṛṣīṇām’: vocalic ‘ṛ’ clean; long ‘ī’., ‘vāṇīḥ’: long ‘ā’ and long ‘īḥ’ with light visarga-like release if pausing.
Softly resonant, slightly humming warmth; let the final phrase ‘sapta nūṣata’ sound like awakening bells.
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